tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7669129150814293862012-02-18T21:31:25.968+08:00This blog records my sightings of some of the fascinating and beautiful creatures especially butterflies, dragonflies etc and plants in nature. I love Nature however I am not trained in anything related to Biology or nature, please feel free to correct me. ThanksFederick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.comBlogger2071100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-2050676978492547432012-02-12T18:12:00.002+08:002012-02-12T18:12:00.234+08:00

Continue from my previous post.Apart from the the Euploea species which really attracted the audience's attention especially the King Crows (Euploea phaenareta castelnaui), our main "dancers" around the flowering Syzygium tree, other butterflies also joined in the fun of "performing" and contributing to the excietment of a very dynamic "stage".At least three Painted Jezebel ( Delias hyparete

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Despite a rather windy and overcast Saturday morning (29 Jan ), I took a train down to Pasir Ris Park (PRP). After an early and quick "Mee Siam" lunch at the bus interchange, I followed the train's track heading towards the park to look for flowering trees. Yes, the Syzygium trees growing near Carpark C had begun to flower slightly early this year (see last year).At least three King Crows (

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As usual, I visited my in-laws at BSP (Bah Soon Pah) on the first day (22 Jan) of the Dragon Year. After lunch, the weather looked rather good - I could not resist the temptation of going outdoor to see what critters were out there welcoming the start of a new lunar year. There is a wasteland at the end of the road - my usual hunting ground at BSP. I spotted quite a few pristine Bush Hoppers (

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It was a beautiful sunny Sunday morning on 22 Jan which marked the last day of the Rabbit Year on the lunar calender, I decided to drop by Lornie Trail (LT). At my favourite spot, the invasive weed Mile-a-Minute (Mikania micrantha) didn't flower in time to welcome and usher in the Dragon Year.While waiting for critters to appear and perch, I stood still and gazed at the ferns. I began to notice

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When I didn't have a definite place for my weekend outing, I would hop on to the first bus arriving at the bus stop. On a fine Saturday morning (14 Jan) , I deliberately gave Upper Seletar Reservoir Park a miss and went further to Mandai area where the zoo is. Except for a few cyclists passing by, this park connector was devoid of joggers and trekkers.With this "red hot" squash bug to

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On a very cloudy Sunday morning (8 Jan). I accompanied some friends for a hiking around Pulau Ubin - we headed to the western part of the island first.A rather shy Three Spot Grass Yellow (Eurema blanda snelleni) was hiding underneath a blade of grass - my first butterfly shot of the morning. It was a nice and easy walk on a cool morning.. This is a male Common Mormon (Papilio polytes romulus )

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On the last Saturday of the year 2011, I dropped by Seletar wasteland. My last visit to this wasteland was last National Day (see here). I was shock to see .... My first shot of the morning was this bee feeding on the Mile-a-Minute flowers. Displaying all sort of "stunts" , it never gave me a good opportunity to take a satisfactory shot.A very dark skipper perching on a blade of grass was in

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Apart from butterflies and moths at Bukit Brown (see here), I also noticed other critters.Grasshoppers and crickets seemed abundant on this cemetery grounds which are covered with wild weeds and grasses. Before I entering the main gate, I saw this tiny and cute critter - it may be a nymph of a cricket. A slightly bigger one was found next to the tiny chap. Again, I am clueless about its

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After an early lunch on 30 Dec 2011, I went to Bukit Brown to find out what butterflies and moths we can see in this huge abandoned cemetery ground. There were at least half a dozen of Peacock Pansy (Junonia almana javana) frolicking in the sun at various spots. After a short passing shower, at the round-about, this pristine specimen was spotted perching on a blade of lalang grass in an unusual

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The sky looked cloudy but the sun, assisted by the gutsy winds from the north was working hard dispersing the clouds. Hoping for a late Christmas present from the butterfly fairy and a wild prediction that the clouds would not prevail, I decided to head out to Upper Seletar Reservoir (USR) Park in the early afternoon on the Christmas Day.This long legged, interesting-looking crane fly with a

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At last, it was a bright and sunny Wednesday (21 Dec) morning after a few days of gloomy and stormy weather during our usual year-end monsoon season. I seized the opportunity and headed down to Lornie Trail which is just 15 minutes of a bus ride from my home.What a lucky morning for me - a perfect Five Bar Swordtail (Pathysa antiphates itamputi ) welcomed me at my favourite spot near the

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I was away for more than a week, attending conferences in Rotorua, New Zealand and Melbourne, Australia. When I came back, I really missed the greenery and the flying jewels of our forest. So on a fine Saturday morning (10 Dec) I set off early for a solo outing to Upper Seletar Reservoir (USR) Park. You would agree with me that the Royal Assyrain (Terinos terpander robertsia) is a beautiful

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It has been a very long time since I last visited the Venus Trail.  I decided to check out the trail on a sunny Saturday morning  There were quite a number of Bush Brown butterflies fluttering and perching at a grass patch. This particular shot which looks more like a Dark Brand Bush Brown (Mycalesis mineus macromalayana) was my first shot of the morning. I didn't notice the water droplet

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-72882468435130036012011-11-13T14:03:00.001+08:002011-11-13T14:09:51.713+08:00

Perhaps due to the unusual weather in October - exceptionally wet this year, two short afternoon weekend outings to our nature reserves didn't give me any excitement and surprises at all. Bush Hopper (Ampittia dioscorides camertes) appeared to be abundant lately. The body shape and posture of this species is quite distinctively different from other orange skippers - the head section is

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I went to Lornie Trail (LT) again on a cool Saturday morning (29 Oct). Surprisingly, the species that I encountered were different from what I saw during my previous outing there (see previous post).My first presentable shot was this orange skipper which tended to perch with an opening-wing posture. Looking at the upperside shot of this skipper, can you tell what species it is ? With this

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Though the weather was rather good on 23 Oct which was a lovely Sunday morning, I could only afford a short outing. I dropped by Lornie Trail and headed straight to my favorite spot for shooting.At least half a dozen Bush Hoppers (Ampittia dioscorides camertes) were zipping around and resting on the overgrown ferns. Bush Hopper does not seem to have the habit of opening its wings when perching on

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I went for a solo hiking trip to Pulau Ubin on a hot Saturday morning on 15 Oct. Perhaps it was still in the midst of the school examination period, there weren't many teenagers or kids visiting the island.For a change, I turned right to the Sensory Trail once I came out from the jetty. This guy flew like a wasp. When it landed on a leaf surface, I approached closer and took a shot. On closer

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It was a blue-sky Saturday (8 Oct) morning before 9 am. How could I resist the temptation of going out for butterfly hunting especially I was deprived of an outing on 1 Oct due to the bad weather. So, without much hesitation, I packed my shooting gears and headed for Chestnut Avenue.While I was trying to take an in-flight shot of this hover fly, it chose to perch on a grass blade instead. I was

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I met up with Cher Hern at the Upper Seletar Reservoir (USR) Park on a late but fine Saturday morning (24 Sept). I was there slightly early and bumped into a Gem along a shady trail. This beautiful lycaenid is Sumatran Gem (Poritia sumatrae sumatrae), a rather uncommon forest species that appeared to be in season since the beginning of the month. Its metallic greenish-blue iridescence on the

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We experienced rather weird and bizarre weather in the first two weeks of September, very much wetter than the past. It was not an ideal day for outing on 11 Sept, I still went for a leisure stroll from MacRitchie Nature Trail (MNT) to Lornie Trail (LT). An oddly-shaped green fruit lying on the shady forest floor caught my attention. I have no idea what this strange-looking fruit is.Look at this

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-7723736302156210802011-09-18T09:30:00.003+08:002011-09-18T12:33:20.511+08:00

A few very hectic weeks at work caused a rather late write-up of an outing which happened on 30 Aug - the day when our Muslim friends starting a new year on their Islamic calender.Living in a multiracial and religious country, we have the privilege celebrating a few different New Years in a year. So a public holiday means another outing for me. I had this rare opportunity visiting a private

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I dropped by at this Mandai Park Connector on 29 Aug which was an off day for many Singaporeans. I was quite fortunate to see and get a few butterfly shots during this short outing though the weather in the early afternoon was not very ideal for butterfly-hunting. A few common Blues including this Gram Blue (Euchrysops cnejus cnejus) were fluttering around their host plant - a weedy ground

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What a disappointing Saturday (27 Aug) - not because it was the day for President Election (PE) but rather the cloudy and rainy morning dampened my spirit and deprived me of an outing. The weather turned slightly better in the late morning. After casting my vote, I went for lunch and headed for BSP. The sky finally cleared up in the afternoon so I decided to find out what critters were active on

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Continue from my previous post.There were not many species of butterflies on the grassland. Fortunately, other critters and some very beautiful wild flowers kept me busy. Let me begin with some flowers.This uniquely patterned, large and showy pinkish-purple flower of the Beach Morning Glory (Ipomoea pes-caprae) is definitely attractive. This coastal ground creeper is quite invasive which has

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Thanks Khew for giving me a lift to the West Coast Pier, reaching there a few minutes before 7 am, the earliest outing I have ever had. Thanks Ria and Marcus for organising this trip and inviting ButterflyCircle (BC) members to do a butterfly survey on the island. The morning sea was calm and the constant breeze really helped refresh our body and engage many of us in conversations. I didn't

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Just like any other public holidays, I woke up early on 9 Aug. Bad economic news filled the front page of the newspaper - another severe financial crisis is looming. I saw the need to replenish our "green-intake" for our mind and body to help rejuvenate the subdued mood, I decided to visit the wildest place that I could think of - the Seletar wasteland. Common Sailor (Neptis hylas papaja) is a

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Within 20 minutes, I was at Lornie Trail, this time with a mission that I had no control in determining its outcome - to hunt for a brown skipper that I had shot some weeks ago. This Saturn (Zeuxidia amethystus amethystus) was initially puddling on the forest floor. It was so well camouflaged that I didn't notice it at all until it was scared into a hasty flight from the ground and landed on a

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Upper Seletar Reservoir (USR) Park was teeming with butterfly activities in July. Once again, I spent a few hours exploring the park. With some luck and lots of patience and determination, I was rewarded with some pictures of a few forest butterfly rarities. Compared with my last encounter with this rarity at USR, this time I could approach closer and took a quick snap of this Malayan Oakblut (

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The Tampines Eco Green Park (TEGP) is situated in Tampines Town at the north-eastern part of the island city. Occupying a large area close to 36.5-ha, it is bounded by Tampines Expressway, Tampines Avenue 12 and Sungei Tampines canal. My first visit to the park was on a sunny Saturday morning on 23 July. Alighting at the Tampines train station, I followed the the direction of the rail track,

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The forest ground was damp, covered with fallen leaves. Not a surprise to me for the predawn thunderstorm had bestowed the tranquil and serene forest with a new lease of life. A solitary Common Caerulean ( Jamides celeno aelianus) was at the entrance of the trail flitting along the forest path but soon it got intoxicated by the bird droppings.At one of my favourite spots near the reservoir

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Two weeks ago (9 July) I dropped by Upper Seletar Reservoir Park (USR) again hoping to hunt for the rarities that I saw but failed to photograph on 2 July.My first encounter was this interesting pair of mating crane fly. Having very long legs with their slender bodies forming a curve, getting a good and sharp shot was a challenge for me.Once they sensed my intrusion into their privacy, they

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These critters were pictured at Upper Seletar Reservoir (USR) Park on 2 July - the day when many uncommon butterflies came out to prove that I should replace my 4-year old camera as mentioned in my previous post.In the midst of shooting an orange skipper at a grass patch, a small critter with a long pair of antennae caught my intention. I am not sure if this is a kind of fly.Along the same

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On a sunny Saturday (2 July) morning, I met up with fellow BC members, Cher Hern and Loke.My first shot of the morning was this Malay Lacewing (Cethosia hypsea hypsina) - I was puzzled by the different colour tone of the forewings. Quite a few Arhopala species were hopping around along a heavily-shaded trail but they were far from being cooperative. A quick and instinctive shot of a

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What a disappointment on 25 June morning when the overcast weather gave me a clear indication that a looming heavy downpour would be imminent. True enough, many nature lovers and photographers like me were grounded at homes for the whole morning. Late in the afternoon, sunshine finally gained control and started to penetrate through some remnants of clouds. Within 30 minutes, I was at the

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I met fellow BC members Chng, Loke and Mark when I strolled on a shady trail on 21 May. The sky turned cloudy and it started drizzling. We were about to call it a day when the clouds seemed to disperse slightly. So, we decided to walk around again. I took a quick shot of this dark brown skipper, perhaps a Caltoris species when it perched on a leaf. Mark spotted an injured and tattered Painted

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27 May was the last Saturday of the month. I would have gone for a long outing to some wild places if I had not arranged an appointment in the afternoon. So, I decided to take a look at the wild flowers and critters along Bah Soon Pah again. I looked for species that I have not captured during my last visit. This grasshopper dressed up with an green outfit didn't seem to be afraid of my presence

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Our last "training session" on a cloudy Sunday morning (28 May) before we head to Ermei Mountain did not give me many shooting chances. But I was happy to see some "new" critters that I didn't see during my last few trips to the submit.This butterfly is common. If you observe carefully, it may be just perching in front of you. This Branded Imperial (Eooxylides tharis distanti ) was shot on our

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Continue from my last post .I usually check out the reservoir edge whenever I take a slow walk on this particular trail as this is the spot where I may find many different dragonflies - though mostly common species, I always hope to encounter surprises. I have seen all three different Rhyothemis species at this location. This Rhyothemis phyllis is a common dragonfly but getting a good close-up

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17 May was Vesak Day, a gazetted public holiday in a multi-racial and religious Singapore. I was on a casual forest stroll along the Lornie Trail. Not too far from the entrance to the greenery and tranquility of the forest, a Chequered Lancer (Plastingia naga) displayed what a "ghosting effect" whenever I snapped a shot.I decided to take some shots from a more difficult angle but with a

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I had another training session with my friend on a fine Sunday morning. We started rather early at the Dairy Farm Park. Walking towards the trail leading to the summit, I saw this wasp hovering and then resting underneath a leaf. I went down, looked for a suitable angle and snapped a few shots.As usual I didn't get many chances to shoot when we were ascending the hill via Seraya Loop and

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After voting, I decided to drop by Zhenghua Park and Chestnut area on a very hot Saturday morning. I didn't get a chance to press the shutter for a long period of time until I saw this strikingly-coloured net-winged beetle.A kind of spiny spider, it was resting or perhaps waiting patiently for its preys in its webs.This is another shot from a different angle - the lighting was so harsh that I

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Continue from my previous blog post. Old Upper Thomson Road is a long and winding road that took me more than 2 hours to stroll from one end to the other end. I almost bumped into this moth larva which was hanging vertically from a tree clinging on its tiny silk, trying very hard to climb upwards for a foothold . It was "dancing" in the air, demonstrating all sorts of body movement.I had to be

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-26738172673198971252011-05-06T21:26:00.010+08:002011-05-07T18:12:38.694+08:00

I guess not many young Singaporeans are aware that Old Upper Thomson road was once the venue for the annual Singapore Grand Prix usually held over the Easter weekend from the early 60s t0 1973. When I was a school boy, I remember I would clue to a radio listening to the live commentary of this event. A very good account of this event can be found in this blog and some highlights of the 1966 Grand

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-77242723184503712372011-05-04T22:00:00.000+08:002011-05-04T22:51:12.750+08:00

This was my second visit to this new park connector in the northern part of Singapore on a cloudy Saturday (23 Apr) afternoon after lunch.This lycaenid is Gram Blue (Euchrysops cnejus cnejus), a permanent resident of this park connector. This ground climber is abundant there. I believe it is one of the larval host plants of quite a number of lycaenids including the Gram Blue.

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-38287653044524571852011-05-01T19:32:00.002+08:002011-05-02T08:48:22.604+08:00

Hiking from MacRitchie Nature Trail (MNT) to the Ranger Station in Sime Forest is quite a long route. On Good Friday, 22 April, I began my slow hike from a slip road along Upper Thomson Road.My first shot of the morning was this Selaginella willdenowii (Family : Selaginellaceae) - what a beautiful fern quietly growing under a big tree just a few steps away from a bus stop where I alighted. I

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-3497960308760047322011-04-26T23:06:00.003+08:002011-04-27T00:08:59.829+08:00

I decided to visit Upper Seletar Reservoir Park (USR) on a fine Saturday (16 April) morning. The forest trails looked rather "eerie", full of spider webs cutting across my path and overgrown tree branches almost blocking up a side trail.Lycaenids such as Arhopala species that were commonly sighted along a side trail were absent completely. Just one micro-moth gave me a bit of consolation - a

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-88904604931561337112011-04-22T23:52:00.004+08:002011-04-24T11:39:51.951+08:00

My friend and I spent a few Sunday mornings walking up to the summit of the Bukit Timah Hill. We usually started early at the Diary Farm Park trekking up the hill - because we want to be fitter and "conquer" another mountain in China -Ermeishan this time, in early June.Along the way, if I encountered anything interesting I would usually take some pictures but shooting chances were rather rare

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-7557447516731459592011-04-17T22:23:00.001+08:002011-04-17T23:52:35.446+08:00

Due to a last-minute work commitment, I had to miss the butterfly survey at the Eco-link bridge site on 9 April. After lunch, I headed out to a forest fringe along Old Upper Thomson Road. This is a very quiet trail. I hardly encountered any trekkers or bikers on this trail. My first shot of the day was this tailless Arhopala major major. Seow TL enlightened me at the BC's forum. He said "If the

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-84236829783082043182011-04-14T22:58:00.007+08:002011-04-17T23:23:31.961+08:00

The pre-dawn heavy rains lasted till morning forced us to abort a butterfly survey near the Eco-link bridge site on 2 Apr. Once the cloudy sky cleared up a bit in the late morning, I decided to head out to Admiralty Park in the northern part of Singapore - a park that I would not visit often due to its "remote location" from my home.The shape of the Bush Hopper (Ampittia dioscorides camertes) is

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-54120734863100628642011-04-07T21:50:00.009+08:002011-04-08T23:37:35.878+08:00

Continue from my previous post.I met Cher Hern at the "Spa" around 11 : 15. The sun was rather shy hiding behind some clouds that's why we didn't see many butterflies puddling on the sandy ground. Nevertheless, a few common species kept us busy. Common Hedge Blue (Acytolepis puspa lambi) is rather common in our forest. I usually found it fluttering along sunlit forest paths or puddling on damp

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-58229391172205962652011-04-02T07:52:00.008+08:002011-04-08T23:36:53.177+08:00

It has been quite a few weeks since my last visit to the forest. So on a fine but slightly cloudy Saturday (26 March) morning I decided to go for a long hike from Lornie Trail to Rifle Range Link. A bunch of Malay Lacewing (Cethosia hypsea hypsina) caterpillars was hiding below a leaf. There were not many big leaves left, I wondered how many of them would survive ultimately. The host plant is a

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-60871326805531964622011-03-30T21:25:00.005+08:002011-04-01T15:00:00.206+08:00

My original plan was to visit the "Spa" in Sime Forest with Chern Hern. But our "intelligence network' informed Chern Hern that the flowering Syzygium trees at Pasir Ris Park (PRP) attracted quite a number of Crows. So we ended up at PRP instead. Thanks Chern Hern for giving me a lift there and back.At least three King Crows (Euploea phaenareta castelnaui) were feeding on the flowers but they

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-88103987427076900362011-03-24T21:40:00.002+08:002011-03-24T23:01:05.292+08:00

Again, due to a commitment in the early afternoon on 12 March, I could not venture far for my usual weekend outing. I had no better choice except strolling at Toa Payoh Town Park again.What a big contrast to my last visit (see here), the number of fauna species was a lot lesser this time. I was quite puzzled. If not for this intimate pair of Chestnut Bob (Iambrix salsala salsala ) I would have

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-53652651634107808002011-03-18T22:38:00.004+08:002011-03-19T09:21:51.798+08:00

A group of BC members was "helping" Khew on 5 March morning at Pasir Ris Park when he conducted a butterfly walk for a group of volunteers from Green Volunteers Network led by Mr Grant Pereira.We reached there early so I checked out the herbs and spice garden first. There were quite a number of Plain Tigers (Danaus chrysippus chrysippus) fluttering amongst the showy orange flowers. Without the

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-39736108508297936402011-03-09T22:04:00.001+08:002011-03-09T23:39:14.075+08:00

Continue from my previous blog post ....We used to see a few Euploea species and Lycaenids at the coconut plantation at the junction of the Sensory Trail and Jalan Ubin - but not now anymore. Instead, we encountered a solitary Common Sailor (Neptis hylas papaja) teasing us - but it only allowed me to take a long-distance shot. Who can ignore the beauty of the Blue Pansy (Junonia orithya

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-66667778022578773552011-03-04T18:55:00.004+08:002011-03-04T22:22:21.819+08:00

On 26 Feb, a group of ButterflyCircle (BC) members gathered at a coffee shop near the Changi Point Jetty for breakfast. By 9 am, we were ready to board the bumboat to Pulau Ubin.Ubin's weekends have always been teeming with people these days - a convincing proof to the authority that we should preserve Ubin as it is because citizens and foreigners alike prefer weekend hideouts in an unspoilt

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-63914367273180408232011-02-25T23:56:00.008+08:002011-02-27T10:08:22.813+08:00

A morning high tea scheduled at 11am at Fairmont Singapore hosted by National Institute of Education on 19 Feb made me change my weekend outing plan - so I decided to stroll around Toa Payoh Town Park. What a pleasant surprise to me, there were lots of butterfly activities at one end of the park. Many Grass Blues fluttering around the Lantana bushes - but they hardly perched. However, I was

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-25364002066790213912011-02-19T22:02:00.004+08:002011-02-27T20:11:07.939+08:00

Getting life back to its normalcy after a traumatic experience can be a long and painful process. I am very glad to see one of our BC veteran members initiated an outing to reignite his past passion for butterfly photography - how can I miss this meaningful outing ! We gathered at Seah Im Street food centre for a quick breakfast before we went up to the hill in Chng's car - thanks Chng.My first

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-16562070592425765022011-02-13T18:27:00.003+08:002011-02-13T20:14:08.988+08:00

It was the 3rd day (5 Feb) of the Golden Rabbit Year. Shortly after my visit to the temple in the early morning, I went to the Lornie Trail for some fresh air and hoping to burn off some excess calories accumulated over the first two days of a new lunar year.At the exercise corner along the trail, I saw this Mycalesis species feeding on a bench. There are at least four different look-alike

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-30440055567705094922011-02-05T20:30:00.006+08:002011-02-26T07:08:07.260+08:00

I usually spend my first day of the lunar new year at my in-law's place at Bah Soon Pah (BSP) - no exception this year on 3 Feb. I also don't stay in the house for long so after lunch I "sneaked out" in the afternoon to take a good look at the herb garden or some wild places nearby.At one corner of the herb garden, some wild Bidens flowers attracted a few insects especially butterflies and bees.

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-79330050637111822142011-01-29T17:42:00.002+08:002011-01-30T22:26:44.450+08:00

Thanks Cher Hern for giving me a ride to Mount Faber Park (MF) on 22 Jan. Once the car was parked, we headed straight to the Merlion sculpture which was just a few minutes of walking distance away.I spotted this rather tame and small lycaenid butterfly The Malayan (Megisba malaya sikkima) . We had to be very patient waiting the wind to subside before we could take a few shots. Below the Merlion

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-40384351476317884532011-01-22T20:19:00.002+08:002011-01-22T22:00:59.352+08:00

It was a Saturday. After lunch the weather looked rather good for an outing so I hopped on a bus to Lornie Trail - very easily accessible from Lornie Road for people like me who don't drive.The Dark-tipped Forest-skimmer dragonfly (Cratilla metallica) was abundant, darting to-and-fro along the muddy forest track. A mating pair which was so intimately and acrobatically attached together was found

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-14567381928212244542011-01-15T21:10:00.006+08:002011-01-17T08:38:03.776+08:00

Thanks Khew for giving me a lift to Pasir Ris Park on the first day of the new year (2011). It has been quite a long time since my last visit to this mangrove park in the east of the island.The herbs garden was our first stop. The common name of this butterfly is Leopard (Phalanta phalantha phalantha). It has the tendency to flap its wings when perching or feeding - I was very lucky snapping a

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-21225753595924415572011-01-12T21:11:00.001+08:002011-01-12T23:58:38.858+08:00

I must thank Yong San for taking his time off bringing me to FRIM (Forest Research Institute Malaysia) during my short free-and-easy holiday in Kulua Lumpur (KL) with my family. Occupying a large forested area of 600 hectares in Kepong, about 16 km north-west of KL, this tropical rainforest is endowed with a wealth of flora and fauna species. A common and large brown skipper with a rather

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-53953969459159199572011-01-08T19:46:00.003+08:002011-12-27T07:52:11.665+08:00

It has been more than 6 months since my last visit to this wasteland in the north-east of Singapore where some major industrial development has been going on nearby. I was glad to see that this wasteland has been very much intact.The "entrance" to the trail was blocked by fallen tree trunks but that didn't stop me from moving forwards. There were a few Pipturus argenteus (Native Mulberry) shrubs

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-89058333918086131002010-12-31T11:08:00.002+08:002010-12-31T23:36:17.410+08:00

By the time you read this post, the owner of the Mandai Orchid Garden (MOG) has already handed over the plot of land to the authority and marked the end of MOG's 59-year history operating on this 10-acre site at Mandai. MOG was always an exciting place for nature-lovers, birders and photographers - simply because it has a rich variety of floral and fauna species. Last Thursday (23 Dec) was my

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-68850693368583067462010-12-25T08:00:00.007+08:002010-12-31T11:38:12.093+08:00

Though it was a long and slow walk to the Upper Peirce Reservoir (UPR) Park on a fine Saturday morning, I didn't have good opportunities to take many winged critters along the way. However, I still enjoyed the outing - one way of exercising and recharging my body and mind.This dark brown skipper with unmarked underside hindwings and 2 cell spots on the underside forewing looks like a Full Stop

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-52227621512023600382010-12-22T07:57:00.002+08:002010-12-22T08:01:56.487+08:00

Please read my previous post here if you want to know the full story.The number of butterfly species was not as many as I had expected - so I had time to shoot other insects whenever they came into my sights.This must be the best camouflaged cricket I have seen - it was as still as a dead insect. I am so proud of myself being able to spot it.This dragonfly looks like a male Cratilla metallica

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-36318173222371926072010-12-19T18:20:00.007+08:002010-12-19T20:53:45.088+08:00

Initiated by one of our enthusiastic ButterflyCircle (BC) members, Chng, ten of us in 3 vehicles set off for Panti Forest Reserve in Southern Johor State early morning on 11 Dec. Efficient customs clearance on both sides of the causeway and a smooth ride gave us plenty of time enjoying a fantastic Bak Ku Teh breakfast at a roadside makeshift stall. About 10:30 am, we reached the carpark where the

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-77768458668153133362010-12-11T21:35:00.004+08:002010-12-12T16:59:41.070+08:00

A short outing to the Upper Seletar Reservoir (USR) Park on an overcast Saturday afternoon didn't present me many opportunities to shoot. A few Singapore Rhododendron (Melastoma malabathricum) shrubs were growing at this particular spot near the reservoir. I noticed a few wasps each with broad yellow strips on its abdomen feeding on the flowers. This wasp is likely a Parapoly biavaria (Vespidae

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-34247872357389610422010-12-04T20:48:00.002+08:002010-12-05T11:37:00.272+08:00

My second visit to this wild place near the zoo on a cool Saturday morning in the second last week of November rewarded me with a few shots of an uncommon skipper - please read on to find out ! The golden yellow flowers of a wild ground creeper (appeared to be Vigna reflexopilosa) were everywhere. There were ants congregating at the flower buds - perhaps they were attending to or even

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-89383682179614133582010-11-27T22:42:00.006+08:002010-12-04T08:31:54.457+08:00

Taking a long and leisure hike to Chek Jawa in Pulau Ubin on a nice Sunday morning (21 Nov) was something I look forward to - so I grabbed the opportunity of being a guide for a friend of mine who has not visited this most natural environment in Singapore for more than two decades.This mangrove shrub which was standing straight and tall in a pond along the Sensory Trail is likely to be Lumnitzera

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-2315911771947864572010-11-20T22:24:00.009+08:002010-12-24T08:38:11.707+08:00

On a fine and sunny Saturday morning, while I was pondering where to go for my weekend hiking, a picture of the Banded Leaf Monkey (Presbytis femoralis femoralis) on the newspaper surfaced in my mind. I have not seen one before so I decided to venture deep into Central Catchment Area (CCA), hoping to get a glimpse of this endangered species.The damp forest floor and the dead tree trunks due to

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-63463070522947719592010-11-14T21:20:00.009+08:002010-11-17T11:03:48.358+08:00

Deepavali marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year on the Lunar Calendar - a gazetted public holiday in a multi-racial and religious Singapore. On 5 Nov, Ai Ling from Oh's Farms, her friends and I decided to explore Ubin since some of us have not visited the island for a long time.Ai Ling and I were lucky to get onto a boat first. At the same time dark clouds coming from the Punggol side

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-9048442082333304372010-11-10T22:33:00.003+08:002010-11-13T00:06:16.744+08:00

There are more than 180, 000 described species of moths on Earth and probably many more waiting to be discovered and named - due to evolutionary and adaption process that constantly happening in our changing environment.During my trip to Fraser's Hill (FH) in Aug, I encountered many moths heading towards the corridor white fluorescent lights and landed on the walls, tables or on the floor.There

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-6742345125918671202010-11-06T23:19:00.012+08:002010-11-07T00:17:00.898+08:00

The PSI reading from the NEA website on 23 Oct was rather high at 8 am, 68 to be exact. Most people would have stayed at home but I still preferred to walk in the forest. My first encounter along Lornie Trail (LT) was this rather huge robber fly, having a long tapering and banded abdomen. Robber Flies belong to the family Asilidae - they are carnivorous, bestowed with strong and long legs capable

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-85847611187621236372010-10-29T23:09:00.002+08:002010-10-31T12:50:43.849+08:00

On a cloudy Saturday morning, I went on a solo outing to a forest trail along the Upper Thomson Road.There were quite a few white bracket fungi sprouting out from the the forest floor - they grew in layers like a bunch of petals. A rather small ant with a pair of long antennae, this ant looks like a Polyrhachis species, resting on the surface of a Hairy Clidermia (Clidemia hirta) leaf. Endowed

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-13640584644436231542010-10-23T19:47:00.009+08:002010-10-23T20:47:52.874+08:00

It was past noon on a hot Saturday (9 Oct), I decided to drop by the Dairy Farm Park as I was nearby. The usual butterfly species such as the Common Birdwing, Cruiser, Tailed Jay were visiting the Lantana bushes and the Pagoda flowers but I just could not withstand the unbearable heat to wait for them to perch. I decided to take a slow walk along the Wallace Trail instead.My first impression of

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-36728969749259686432010-10-16T23:39:00.011+08:002010-12-26T06:54:48.398+08:00

The weather forecast for 2 Oct morning was cloudy with showers which meant that it was not a day for a long outing so I decided to check out a park connector at Mandai which is near my in-law's place.My first shot on a gloomy morning was this Silver Forget-me-not (Catochrysops panormus exiguus ) 蓝咖灰蝶). A few of them were fluttering at a low level . The little marginal black spot on the forewing

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-86158261852091729332010-10-09T19:54:00.003+08:002010-10-09T22:18:25.632+08:00

This is the continuation from my last post.Along the way from Lornie Trail to Sime Forest, not only did I pay attention to butterfly species, I also looked out for other insects, especially dragonfly species. According to Tang's guidebook, Singapore has 124 species of dragonfly, so I am rather optimistic about encountering something new for me to photograph during each outing.At the reservoir

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-86685523933569894952010-10-03T21:22:00.008+08:002010-10-03T23:38:39.774+08:00

The weather was ideal for a long trekking on 25 Sept, the day before Singapore F1 race at Marina Bay. Just like last year (see here) but alone this time, I headed out to the "spa" area in Sime Forest via Lornie Trail.The first butterfly greeted me along Lornie Trail near the reservoir edge was this Common Snow Flat (Tagiades japetus atticus). A sun-loving skipper which tends to rest and feed on

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-919550477740434302010-09-26T19:55:00.006+08:002010-09-27T08:35:20.786+08:00

Though Singapore is just a little red dot on a world map, we still have quite a number of wastelands and the central catchment nature reserve for nature lovers to replenish their body with fresh and clean air. Occasionally, if I really could not decide where I should head to for my routined weekend trekking and photographing session, I would let the bus to decide for me.Last Saturday 18 September

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-44538770145674704752010-09-19T20:03:00.003+08:002010-10-12T10:06:17.143+08:00

On the day (10 Sept) which marks the end of a month-long Ramadan fasting period for our Muslim friends, BJ and I went to explore a park-connector near Mandai. After a heavy but short downpour, we decided to go to Upper Seletar Reservoir (USR) Park as there wasn't anything interesting that could hold us back at the park connector.This Malayan Bush Brown (Mycalesis fusca fusca) was skittishly

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-73636813860422563652010-09-11T23:06:00.002+08:002010-09-12T20:55:26.866+08:00

Last Saturday(4 Sept) morning, I decided to take a look again at Toa Payoh Town Park (TPTP) as it has been quite a while since my last shooting there. A pleasant surprise - some new Lantana bushes and other flowering shrubs have been added to the park near the swimming pool.This male carpenter bee, probably a Xylocopa confusa was hovering around a cluster of Lantana flowers, tempting me to try a

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-77667990985834293892010-09-04T23:40:00.003+08:002010-09-05T10:33:43.772+08:00

When you don't feel like walking a long distance to hunt for macro-subjects for a photography session, the butterfly trail at Alexandra Hospital (AHBT) is one of the best locations which can offer you good variety of species to increase the shutter counts. I dropped by there in the late morning on the last weekend of August.The moment I stepped on the trail, I heard an intense high-pitched sound

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-77161099177522051962010-08-30T21:30:00.000+08:002010-08-30T23:28:08.316+08:00

14 Aug was a lucky day for me at USR. While I walked behind the toilet towards the direction of the children playground, I noticed a Fivebar Swordtail (pathysa antiphates itamputi) perching on the edge of a leaf, above my eye level. I instinctively took a long distance shot - with the sky as part of the background. I approached closer and took more shots on this magnificent and attractive

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-75390441759139176462010-08-25T09:02:00.005+08:002010-08-26T08:45:34.885+08:00

It has been more than two weeks since my last visit to Lornie Trail on our 45th National Day. Attending a conference and a paper presentation in Tokyo last week was my excuse for not updating the blog in time. This female Knight (Lebadea martha parkeri) flew across the forest trail and landed a few meters in front of me.I like to observe how butterflies, small and big feeding on the Leea indica

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-19772118180050681172010-08-19T22:22:00.022+08:002010-10-31T14:19:20.489+08:00

Fraser's Hill (FH) is a popular place for bird-watching and photography. Indeed, the number of birds I have encountered was quite impressive. Without a bird lens, I only captured some docile birds who were not afraid of my close proximity with them.It was a later afternoon, this Chestnut-capped Laughing Thrush was resting high on the tree.This magnificent Black-throated Sunbird was our "target"

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-24823167744559370102010-08-13T21:26:00.002+08:002010-08-13T22:28:55.461+08:00

Continue from my previous post.The Great Orange Tip (Hebomoia glaucippe aturi) is a rather large pierid butterfly. It tested a few spots before it settled down quite tamely savouring the nutrient solution.My first encounter with a Spotted Sawtooth (Prioneris thestylis malaccana) was just next to a group of Swallowtail puddlers. A deformed paper cup on the right side of the picture really spoilt

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-9056432564913136472010-08-10T07:05:00.012+08:002010-08-11T00:27:27.404+08:00

Thanks Khew for inviting me and organising the trip to Fraser's Hill (from 3 - 6 Aug) for a group of us from ButterflyCircle. I must thank the drivers also - Khew, Sunny and Chng, without their transport, it is impossible for us to move around in Fraser's Hill. Many entomologists or butterfly researchers have concluded that mostly young male butterflies engage in puddling activity to supplement

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-66046823618301075212010-08-08T15:04:00.002+08:002010-08-08T23:39:59.779+08:00

On the last weekend of July, I was out for my usual outing to Upper Seletar Reservoir (USR) in the morning. I met Koh there and both of us shared the same sentiment - a super quiet morning at USR. So we decided to go to the Dairy Farm Park. Thanks Kok for giving me a lift there.At Daily Farm Park, the Pagoda flowers (Clerodendrum paniculatum) attracted quite a number of butterflies. This male

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-20998722687172275182010-08-02T20:25:00.002+08:002010-08-03T00:20:16.420+08:00

We experienced very freak weather in Singapore in the month of June and July - traditionally two relatively dry and hot months in the year but instead we were seeing days of torrential rains coupled with strong winds causing floods and uprooting of trees which inflicted damages to properties and loss of life in one incidence. We hope Mother Earth recovers its normality soon. .I didn't go for long

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-5433927053624833412010-07-25T21:27:00.013+08:002011-08-27T22:19:52.635+08:00

Do you know where Bah Soon Pah Road is ? Named after a Paranakan Chinese Lim Nee Soon (1879 - 1936), Bah Soon Pah road is about 1km long connecting Sembawang road and the Khatib MRT Station in the northern part of Singapore. Taking a slow walk from one end to the other end, you should be able to discover its charm, serenity and its diversity of flora and fauna. There are quite a few nurseries,

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-15884300277336014332010-07-20T21:12:00.005+08:002011-12-29T22:26:46.710+08:00

The order Odonata consists of dragonflies and damselflies is one of the popular insect groups for photography. Having strong chewing mouthparts and four membranous net-veined wings, they are predatory insectsThe reservoir edge next to the SICC golf course is one of the best locations in the central catchment area for spotting and watching dragonflies and damselfies. I was very fortunate to meet

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-82545692657805582892010-07-16T23:11:00.008+08:002011-01-23T06:41:53.373+08:00

On a hot and sultry Saturday morning, the bus going to Lornie Trail (LT) arrived at the same time I reached the bus stop. Without hesitation, I was on my way to Lornie Road. There is a Leea indica tree at the reservoir edge. Very often I saw butterflies and other critters feeding on its small flowers, quite high up now as the tree grows taller over the years. This dark brown and small Starry Bob

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-13960818414864860162010-07-09T23:13:00.004+08:002010-08-08T23:41:32.759+08:00

It was a ordinary very late Friday afternoon (18 June). A pre-school kid should be able to count the number of visitors at Dairy Farm Park. My friend and I had planned to climb up to the Bukit Timah summit again - our last physical training before we headed to Huangshan on 19 June.While waiting for my friend, I noticed quite a number of common butterflies either resting or fluttering around

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-73983356228860849762010-07-02T18:48:00.003+08:002010-07-03T00:07:28.301+08:00

I dropped by Alexandra Hospital Butterfly Trail (AHBT) on a fine Saturday morning a few weeks ago to check out the conditions of the trail as it is now under a different management.There were a few Common Birdwings (Troides helena cerberus) hovering around at tree tops. At last one of them came down to lay eggs - I quickly took an instinctive shot. There were many Common Birdwing larvae feeding

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-49372846174897118882010-06-24T20:13:00.009+08:002010-07-02T07:19:16.238+08:00

On 7 June morning, after a rather unique Laksa breakfast, we headed to the Mari Mari Cultural Village which is situated at a forested area on the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu. We were the first group to reach the village. While waiting outside the gate, I spotted this orange butterfly appeared to be Mycalesis anapita.From far I saw this Nawab butterfly (polyura athamas) feeding on the grass. When I

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-30822506521479833322010-06-18T19:53:00.008+08:002010-09-02T20:44:28.728+08:00

Recognised as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 2004 for its outstanding "universal values", Kinabalu Park has a lot to offer to nature lovers. Two of us (Yong and I) decided to stay one night (4 June) at Liwagu Suite near the Visitor Centre, at a high altitude of 1585 metres above sea level. This beautiful shrub (perhaps Medinella species, family Melastomataceae) with lots of edible

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-766912915081429386.post-70761898832830887622010-06-16T20:46:00.006+08:002011-05-31T10:11:40.998+08:00

I tagged along with some staff members of Butterfly Lodge @ Oh' Farms who went on a guided tour to Kota Kinabalu (KK), Sabah. The fully-booked Jetstar flight touched down KK slightly behind schedule on 3 June. After a sumptuous chicken rice lunch and a rather long coach journey, we finally checked in at the Zen Garden Resort in the late afternoon.There were many beautiful flowers outside our

Federick Hohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17508729789160815412noreply@blogger.com0